How many RSS feeds are too many feeds?

If you’re anything like me, you spend your days tied to an RSS reader.

The Pew Internet project states that the average blog reader reads approximately six blogs a day.

I have 147 feeds on my RSS reader, and an additional 100 in my Netvibes.  So, around 250.  And people wonder why I no longer have an attention span.

While on my little moving break, I rarely fired up my RSS reader, and once I finally did, I was amazed to see the thousands of posts piled up.  I did my best to filter through them, and eventually gave up and did the ole “mark all as read” command.

I quickly realized that “mark all as read” isn’t a viable solution.  You miss things you’re supposed to pick up on (say, for me, Trippi joining Team Edwards would have been a great thing to have known, but I instead missed the news).

But what I’m also starting to realize is that a massive amount of RSS feeds isn’t the best idea, either.  You glance over headlines, and it begins to be impossible to find anything you’re looking for.  Instead, you do yourself a disservice by not comprehending items that you’d normally find immensely valuable.

I’ve tried trimming my subscriptions down, but it doesn’t work.  I find value in each and every one of my subscriptions, and it’s hard to believe that you’re actually doing yourself a service by actively choosing to ignore outlets.

So, in my little mind, I beign to wonder: how would there be a way to make sure you get the valuable content you need, without disowning feeds, but without allowing your RSS inbox to pile up?

If only there were a TiVo/Digg-style combination, where by voting on what you like and what you don’t like, customized content is delivered to your reader?  Would be nice.

How many RSS feeds do you currently subscribe to, and what are your own personal methods that you use to ensure that you’re on top of your game?

Technorati Tags: RSS, Digg, information overload, TiVo